Don Maye’s ‘Little D’ and its full-size brother, Jim
Birmington’s 1935 Model D (left). Faithful to the original
design, Don’s ‘Little D’ cuts a fine figure.
I built the ‘Little D’ in 2000. It has a spoke flywheel
land a two-speed transmission, as did the early John Deere Model
Ds. Power comes from a 7-9 HP Model AEH Wisconsin engine, a unit
that originated in the 1940s. It’s also fitted with a parking
brake, a hand-clutch pulley and a pulley brake. The differential is
out of a riding lawnmower. Spinning the 12-inch flywheel starts the
tractor’s engine.
The full-size Model D lending scale is a 1935 model belonging to
Jim Birmington of Pueblo, Colo. Jim bought the tractor several
years ago, and fully restored it to its present state.
Red Wing
The quarter-scale Red Wing is a model of a 5 HP Red Wing
Thorobred, and was a retirement gift to me for 30 years of service
to Colorado Machinery, a John Deere dealer in Colorado. I received
the Red Wing as a kit, and did all the machining and assembly. It
has a 1-inch bore, 2-inch stroke and 8-inch flywheels.
Contact engine enthusiast Don Mayes at: 1124 Ruppel, Pueblo,
CO 81001, or e-mail: dkmayes@aculink.net
